In the past few months, Weald Bethel Community Center on the Mission’s Downeast campus has hosted tax clinics, cooking classes, a weatherization workshop, and a Buddhist monk’s talk. This diverse mix of events were hosted by local community groups that needed a large, central place to meet in Washington County. Organizations like Wild Blueberry Heritage Center, Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL), Downeast Community Partners, and Mano en Mano have all used the space free of charge.
For the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center, a smaller nonprofit that only added staff members in 2022, “Having the Maine Seacoast Mission as a resource during these iterative stages of organizational growth is crucial to our success” says Kaysie Logan, an AmeriCorps Vista member who works at the Center. The organization has used Weald Bethel Community Center to hold a few meetings over the winter. In April, a group of AmeriCorps NCCC who were working at the center stayed at Weald Bethel Community Center for three weeks. The group was there to help build the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center’s educational outdoor walkway and garden. “Without the Maine Seacoast Mission, we would not be able to properly support the volunteer-staff members that are integral to our organizational growth and community embeddedness,” Kaysie adds.
Zabet NeuCollins, the Assistant Director of WHRL, agrees that having a large space with a full kitchen has beneficial to her organization and the community as a whole. WHRL has a kitchen in their building in Milbridge but has held their monthly Harvest Table Cooking classes at Weald Bethel Community Center. “We did one of the kitchen classes in our space. It is not the same, we have a much smaller space, and we did not have a nice open kitchen to spread out in,” she says. WHRL has also used Weald Bethel Community Center for board retreats and NeuCollins has been grateful for the partnership that it has fostered. “We are really grateful for the community space,” she adds.
In addition to offering the space to community groups, Weald Bethel Community Center is a hub for Mission programs as well. During the summer, volunteers for the Mission’s Housing Improvement program stay in the building. In winter that same space turns into the North Pole for the Mission’s Christmas Program. Weald Bethel Community Center also hosts weekly yoga classes in the fall and spring as well as open mic nights and the Downeast Table of Plenty year-round.
To use the space or learn more about community events hosted at Weald Bethel Community Center and contact Stephanie Moores, Family and Community Engagement Manager at smoores@seacoastmission.org or call 207-546-5868.
Every month, the Mission’s food pantry welcomes hundreds of people through its doors and volunteers and staff make deliveries to seniors and others who cannot come to the pantry. In 2022, the Mission provided more than 200,000 pounds of food to people living in Washington County. But where does all that food come from? Around 90% of the food comes from Good Shepherd Food Bank. Good Shepherd works with the national organization Feeding America to provide food to pantries, like the Mission’s food pantry.
Though the food the Mission receives differs from week to week, Downeast Director Jenny Jones says. “The Mission tries hard to have the basics for households as much as we can: some fruit, veggies, milk, eggs, meat, and other protein sources. We also try to order the products from Good Shepherd that our customers like and request.”
Through the retail pick-up program facilitated by Good Shepherd, the Mission makes weekly visits to Walmart and Shaw’s in Ellsworth and BaySide Shop ‘n Save Supermarket in Milbridge. The stores donate unsold food and the Mission picks up that food. Volunteers and staff sort through all this food and decide what is usable. They often sort out spoiled produce that can be composted or donated to farmers for their animals. The food that is on the shelves on Tuesday morning when the pantry opens commonly comes from this delivery and includes bread, pastries, and produce. If a particular brand allows the store to donate products, the pantry will sometimes receive yogurt, milk, eggs, and dried goods, but those items are available less frequently.
The Mission also receives food from The Emergency Food Assistant Program (TEFAP) through a monthly delivery from Good Shepherd. This is federal program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). TEFAP provides the pantry with fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, milk and cheese, and whole-grain and enriched grain products including rice, cereal, and pasta.
To supplement the produce the pantry receives from supermarkets, the Mission works with Folklore Farm in Cherryfield as part of Good Shepherd’s “Mainers Helping Mainers” initiative. Good Shepherd develops purchase agreements with the farm, committing to buying certain crops that are given directly to the pantry.
To fill in any gaps, the pantry is also able to purchase certain items through Good Shepherd but what they can purchase is contingent on what suppliers have available.
This is where donations from community members fill in the gaps. Food products include jelly, jam, macaroni and cheese, soup, canned tuna, coffee, tea, and cereal are always popular items that people always want from the pantry. Some, like jam and jelly, are impossible to order from Good Shepherd. Other items that are often needed include diapers, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toilet paper, trash bags, cleaning products, and other personal care items. If you would like to donate to the pantry, the pantry is open every Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In her first month at the Mission, Sunbeamnurse Simone Babineaux is getting her metaphorical sea legs. She has traveled to Great Cranberry Island, Islesford, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, and Matinicus. Along the way she has met with community members, and learnt more about the islands and the people that call them home. As the nurse, she has made home visits, scheduled appointments, and coordinated care for those who need it.
While Simone has been working in healthcare for more than 25 years in far-flung regions on two different continents, her time as the Sunbeam nurse has been unique. “I think one of the things that surprised me is how much the islanders are like family to the crew and vice versa. The sweetest thing is that when they come on the boat, they say to me ‘welcome aboard.’” Simone says.
Simone has also started to learn the ins and outs of being on the boat. One that she was not expecting was the list that the Sunbeam experiences when the tide goes out on Matinicus. When she came back from making home visits, she found the boat leaning on the dock. What surprised her was how everyone went about their day, tilting to the side, and never commenting on the change. Islanders would come on the boat leaning to the side and Jillian had set the table with a special runner to keep things from sliding off.
She has learned that each island has its own Sunbeam traditions, including Capitan Mike Johnson blowing the horn as Sunbeam enters Isle au Haut’s harbor. This tradition always brings a few community members out of doors to wave. She has seen how much the islanders value the visits the boat makes. “They want to know when we are coming back, how long are we here for, when are we leaving. These visits really seem vital to their well-being,” Simone adds.
And while she is starting to learn more about the residents and what makes each island unique, she admits that she has only just got her feet wet. “I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and them getting to know me. I want to provide whatever services they need in a way that would serve them.”
Composed of men’s doubles and women’s doubles playing at advanced and intermediate levels, eight-player teams compete throughout the day. The Tournament will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with breakfast and lunch provided. Sunday, September 10 is scheduled as a rain date.
Registration for a team of eight is $1,400 and single player registration is $50. Single player participants may also join and will be assigned to a team by the Tournament directors. An organization, business, or person can also sponsor a team and Tournament directors will assign single players.
Proceeds from the tournament fund EdGE. The program offers collaborative and innovative afterschool, summer, in-school, and leadership activities to children in seven schools located along Washington County’s Downeast coast. EdGE provides students opportunities to expand their knowledge and experiences through academic and social support, and peer mentoring. Students challenge themselves, engage with their communities, explore the outdoors, and gain social and leadership skills to build personal, career, and post-secondary education aspirations.
President John Zavodny has announced the two recipients for the Sunbeam Award in 2023: retired Director of Island Health Sharon Daley, RN, and the Mission’s healthcare partners! This year’s awardees were chosen for their unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care to island residents served by the Sunbeam.
Both awardees will be recognized at this year’s Sunbeam Award Gala. The Gala is the Mission’s annual opportunity to celebrate those who embody the ideals of the community and whose work has made a lasting impact. The 2023 event will take place on Thursday, August 17 at the Bar Harbor Club.
“Beginning with lighthouse keepers and their families in 1905, the Mission has helped ease the isolation of island life by making health care more accessible,” says Mission President John Zavodny. “Sharon and our current healthcare partners represent the latest chapter in that century of service and we are thrilled to honor their dedication over the years and especially through the Covid pandemic.”
For two decades, Sharon Daley delivered healthcare services to individuals living on Maine’s unbridged, outer islands. During her tenure as the Mission’s Director of Island Health, she developed a nascent initiative into a robust program that today includes telehealth, vaccinations, home health, specialist visits, and more. Now retired, Sharon and her husband Tom continue to live year-round on the island of Islesboro, Maine.
Since the founding of the Island Health program, numerous healthcare providers and agencies have partnered with the Mission. These partners have ensured Mainers receive quality health services and can continue to live on the islands they call home.
In the past 18 years, Sunbeam Award recipients also include:
2022 – Les Coleman & Downeast Education Partners
2021 – Acadia Senior College & Sigma Kappa
2019 – Bryan Colket and the Sunbeam “All Hands on Deck” Committee & Dr. Diehl
Snyder, MDI Hospital Behavioral Health Center
2018 – Marjorie Withers & Maine Community Foundation
2017 – Robin Alden & Earl Brechlin and Alan Baker, The Mount Desert Islander
2016 – Edward R. Flanagan & Cookie Horner and Jack Russell
2015 – Joseph M. Murphy & Todd West
2014 – Senator George J. Mitchell
2013 – Charlie Harrington
2012 – Ashley Bryan
2011 – Edith R. Dixon & Ralph W. Stanley
2010 – Emily A. Sabah-Maren & Gary DeLong
2009 – Curtis L. Blake & Marianne Barnicle
2008 – Charlotte Bordeaux & Dr. Richard Dimond
2007 – James Gower & Henry Harris
2006 – Cornelia Greaves Bates & Alf Wakeman
2005 – Ruth and Tristram Colket & Myron Sprague
2004 – Jill Goldthwait & Fritz Dixon
Those interested in attending may request a seat or table beginning June 1, 2023. The event takes place each year at Bar Harbor Club and includes a presentation, dinner, and cocktail hour. For more details, please explore the 2023 Sunbeam Award Gala web page.
Walking down the streets of Salem, Massachusetts, 10th grade Journey students traveled back in time to learn more about the witch trials and Salem’s rich history as an 18th century seaport. A day later, they grabbed the train into Boston to visit the Boston Tea Party Museum, explore the U.S.S. Constitution, and wander around the city.
Journey gives Downeast youth the chance to explore the outdoors and their communities to develop the tools needed to successfully transition to high school as well as higher education and career pathways. Each year, the program focuses on a different theme and for 10th grade the theme is “Exploring Outside our Communities” with an emphasis on history and culture. Earlier this year, students met with Journey Coordinator Briana West to discuss the trip.
“One of our main goals is to introduce our students to new ideas, new places, and explore. Learning through doing makes the experience that much better and memorable. We gave the students the budget, the theme of our trip, the area, and let them research,” West says. “They produced a long list and worked hard to narrow the list down to what fit into their budget and the ones they wanted to visit the most. Students were more excited because they picked the locations and planned most of their trip. It was truly great trip.”
So, on an unseasonably warm day in early April, the students piled into two vans to make their way down to Wellesley where they stayed at Wellesley Village Church. On the trip down to Massachusetts, the group made their first history stop, Fort McClary. The fort was used during five wars during the 19th and 20th centuries to protect the harbor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. There they found out more about how forts were integral to the country’s defense along the coast.
The next day, the group visited Salem and walked down some of the oldest streets in America. The students learned about the Salem witch trials at the Salem Witch Museum and then walked to the House of the Seven Gables. There, during a private tour of the estate, they found out more about the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne as well as the history of Salem as an early and influential shipping port.
The next day, the group was up early to make the trek into Boston, taking the commuter rail into South Station, a first for some of the students. From there, they visited the Boston Tea Party Museum. Once inside, students assigned aliases of actual participants to help immerse themselves in the experience. Through an interactive tour, the students learned more about how the events of that night directly led to the start of the Revolutionary War. After a brief pit stop in Chinatown, the group headed to Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market for lunch and shopping. The students rounded out their trip with a visit to the U.S.S. Constitution where they visited the museum to learn more about the history of the boat and then went aboard.
On the last day of the trip, everyone piled into the vans early to make their way out to city before the start of the Boston Marathon. The students learned about history but also explored new places and broadened their horizons, a core tenet of Journey. The group will continue to meet throughout the year.
